1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to seat covers. More specifically, the invention is a one-piece, washable, pliable slipcover designed to cover infant highchairs, particularly restaurant highchairs used by the general public, thereby preventing the skin of an infant occupying the highchair from coming in direct contact with the highchair and table surface, which reduces exposure to germs and unsanitary conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Families with infants often have occasion to eat away from home, either fine dining at a quality restaurant, or a quick meal at a fast food facility. In either case, it is often necessary to place the infant in a highchair, safety seat, or booster seat provided by the restaurant or food service facility. Although restaurants and other food service facilities take some measures to clean the highchair before and after use for sanitary purposes, often this amounts to no more than a quick wipe down with a damp towel. While the highchair may appear sanitary upon casual visual inspection, nevertheless, many parents remain concerned that their infant, and particularly an infant less than six or nine months of age, may pick up an infection from germs or dirt left behind on the highchair seat, or the removable table or tray which attaches to the arms of the highchair. Various furniture covers for covering articles of furniture have long been known, and various inventions have been directed towards improving the sanitation of highchairs used in public food facilities, but none disclose the washable highchair slipcover of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,098, issued Aug. 6, 2002 to F. Allbaugh, discloses a one-piece, flexible liner for a highchair. The liner is reusable, removable, foldable, and capable of adapting to other types of children seats, such as baby strollers and baby carriers. A generally square-shaped seat portion serves as the base from which portions extend from all four sides to form the front, rear, and sides of the invention. The liner has a bulky appearance and offers no protection for the infant from direct contact with the abutting table surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,565, issued Nov. 7, 2000 to S. Rieder, describes an infant chair liner designed to be used in conjunction with several types of infant seats: highchairs, strollers, car seats, etc. The liner is comprised of a one-piece armrest and backrest component that has a fabric cover which can be washed. However, the user must unzip and remove the fabric cover to wash it and then place it back on the liner.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 383,636, issued Sep. 16, 1997 to M Harris, shows a highchair cushion that has a generally square-shaped seat portion from which three bifurcated portions extend from both sides and the rear to the form the invention. There is corresponding hook and loop attaching means located on the underside of each bifurcated portion that secures the folded flap to the remainder of the bifurcated portion. The highchair cushion has no front portion, thus it offers no barrier between the infant and the crotch strap or horizontal lap bar of highchairs equipped with such. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 465,959, issued Nov. 26, 2002 to E. Cameron, shows a similar design in a highchair protective cover that features the addition of an extending front portion that folds over the horizontal lap bar. However, no barrier exists between the infant and the table surface to protect the infant from direct contact with the table surface. In addition, neither design shows a means for attaching infant-related items, such as small toys, to the body of the highchair covering mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,746, issued Nov. 21, 1989 to S. Andreesen, discloses a handle cover and toy holder for a shopping cart. The invention comprises a washable strip of fabric that covers a shopping cart handle and is secured to the handle by corresponding strips of hook and loop fasteners located on opposing ends. There is a strap suspended from the midpoint of the secured handle cover that has a means for holding a toy and maintaining the handle cover in a folded state. U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,571, issued Feb. 10, 1998 to S. Fasano, teaches a similar shopping cart handle cover that wraps around a shopping cart handle and is secured by a hook and loop fastener system. This shopping cart handle cover has a plurality of straps suspended from said cover that are a means of holding toys and an infant bottle. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,039, issued Dec. 30, 1997 to J. Olaiz, discloses a utility belt used in conjunction with a child stroller that features a plurality of straps suspended from the main belt that use hook-and-loop fasteners to hold toys and even an infant bottle. None of these toy-holding means can be readily used in conjunction with al protective cover designed primarily for use with restaurant highchairs.
Many patents in the prior art are related to seat covers for shopping carts. The seat portion of a conventional shopping cart has a generally rectangular basket configuration. In contrast, the seat portion of a highchair generally has more of a square basket configuration. Thus, seat covers designed particularly for shopping carts that purport to be suitable for highchairs result in an awkward fit when placed in a highchair due to excess material dangling over the edges of the highchair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,293, issued Aug. 24, 1993 to D. Gibson, discloses a shopping cart seat cover that has a system for holding an infant""s toys or bottles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,250, issued Jul. 19, 1994 to G. Reyes, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,152 B1, issued May 1, 2001 to Hughes et al., describe liners for a shopping cart child seat that feature a padded backrest and seat cushion, respectively, and seatbelt restraining systems, but the shopping cart handle and leg area remain uncovered, thereby posing a risk that the infant may come in direct contact with germs resulting from public use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,417, issued Oct. 10, 2000 to M. Cohen-Fyffe, discloses a shopping cart seat cover where the front and rear sides of the cover, which extend from the central seat portion, are designed with sleeves that fit over the top of the handle and rear wall, respectively, of the shopping carts seating area to secure the cover to the shopping cart. Furthermore, piping is used in the seams to maintain the shape of the seat cover. Thus, this seat cover cannot be readily adapted to most highchairs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,888, issued Oct. 21, 1997 to Sowell et al., teaches a similar configuration for a shopping cart seat cover that suffers essentially from the same shortcoming.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a washable highchair slipcover solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The washable highchair slipcover is a one-piece, pliable cover designed to cover the seating area and supports of a highchair, particularly highchairs used by the general public in restaurants. The cover has a generally square-shaped central base that serves as the seat portion and is cushioned to provide additional comfort for the occupant. A generally T-shaped front portion extends from the middle of the front side of the base and allows the infant""s legs to pass while shielding the infant from the crotch strap and lap bar of the highchair once the infant is placed on the cover. Opposing side portions extend upwardly from each side of the base and serve to encompass the side supports. The rear portion extends upwardly from the rear side of base and has apertures in each opposing corner at the foot of the rear portion to accommodate the use of safety belts integral to the highchair. A detachably connectable, reusable placemat made from a durable, flexible, thin plastic sheet is also provided to cover the table surface used by the child and provide a clean feeding area for the child, thereby preventing the child from placing his or her mouth on the table, such as when teething. Straps with hook and loop fasteners are provided for attaching toys or other items to the surface of the front portion facing the child. When not in use, the toy-attaching mechanisms are stored in a rectangular storage pocket that is affixed to the back flap of the rear portion. For ease of transport and storing, the slipcover folds into a compact form.
The placemat is a generally D-shaped plastic placemat that can be detachably coupled to the front portion of the cover. The placemat has a plurality of male connectors located under the front edge of the placemat that mate with female connectors on the front portion in a button snap arrangement. The generally D-shaped placemat rests on the table surface and extends sufficiently wide and far enough to impede the typical infant from coming in direct contact with any portion of the table surface.
The toy holders can be removably coupled to the inside upper area of the front portion above the crotch section. The toy holders are coupled to the front portion using a button snap arrangement and have a hook and loop fastening system on their inner sides where the bottom end is passed through a ring connected to the toy, then folded back towards the top and pressed to secure the toy in a suspended state. As the toy olders are detachable, there is a storage component to store them when not in use. The storage component is a rectangular panel made of like fabric and is located on the outer surface of the back flap of the rear portion.
The present invention can be folded neatly into a compact configuration and secured by a button snap arrangement.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a highchair slipcover for covering the seating area of a highchair that is adaptable to most highchairs used in public settings and provides an instant barrier between the infant and the highchair and table surface.
It is an object of the invention to provide a highchair slipcover that reduces the exposure of an infant to germs and unsanitary conditions associated with the use of highchairs used by the general public.
It is another object of the invention to highchair slipcover that is lightweight, pliable, and easy to install in most highchairs, particularly those used in public settings.
It is another object of the invention to provide a highchair slipcover that is reusable and washable.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a highchair slipcover that has a means for holding items that foster the amusement of the infant-occupant.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive to manufacture and purchase, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.